Heroes of Olympus: House of Hades
by Camyrose14
Summary: This is my version of the House of Hades. It hasn't come out yet so I decided to give my best shot of how things might turn out. Narrated by Frank, Hazel, Percy, and Jason. *SPOILERS FOR MoA!* I do not own PJO or HoO! DISCONTINUED!
1. Frank I

**(A/N This is how I think the HoH is going to turn out to be. I know we've got a long time until the real HoH comes out, but I just got so excited I decided to try and write my own. Please review! Tell me what you think! If you don't like it, please just move on. Don't review anything negative. I don't own the PJO or HoO series!)**

FRANK (I)

Frank was so worried about Percy and Annabeth, he didn't even notice the giant fox land on the Argo II.

He watched as the two of them fell down into Tartarus. Percy yelled to Nico, "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there. Understand?"

Nico's eyes widened in disbelief. "But-"

"Lead them there!" Percy shouted, interrupting Nico before he could finish. "Promise me!"

When Nico promised, Percy got a strange look on his face, He murmured something to Annabeth and…let go?

Hazel and Nico were screaming their heads off, dangling from the rope ladder above the dark pit. Leo was standing there, dumbstruck. Eventually, they got Hazel and Nico up and they parked the Argo II. Jason led Frank and Hazel back to the parking lot where Percy and Annabeth but to no avail. They trudged back to the ship, their hopes gone.

Frank turned into an elephant to help load the Athena Parthenos into the hold. Thankfully the statue fit.

Then, Leo tried to convince everyone that it was his fault. Hazel said, "No, this is _Gaea's_ fault. It had nothing to do with you. Frank didn't really get what he meant, but a look of understanding passed through them. "Leo, listen to me." Hazel then grabbed his hand, which really made Frank want to punch him, but he held himself back. "I won't allow you to take the blame. I couldn't bear that after-after Sammy..."Frank saw tears welling up in her eyes. He wished he could comfort her, but she turned away from everyone.

Then Nico limped over, leaning heavily on his sword. "Leo, they're not dead. If they were, I could feel it." A spark of newfound hope surged through Frank.

Leo didn't seem convinced. "How can you be sure? If that pit really led to…you know…how could you sense them so far away?"

Hazel turned around and shared a look with Nico. "We can't be one hundred percent sure. But I think Nico is right. Percy and Annabeth are alive…at least so far."

Then Jason pounded his fist against the railing. "I should've been paying _attention_. I could have flown down and saved them."

That triggered something in his mind. He could turn into and eagle. He could've have helped save the two of them. "Me, too," he moaned. Frank couldn't believe that he messed up.

That's when Piper stepped in. "It's not your fault, either of you. You were trying to save the statue."

Then Nico went and dampened everyone's mood some more. Something about how he hadn't stood a chance when he was in there and how powerful Tartarus was.

That made Frank almost angry enough to cry. "Then Percy and Annabeth don't stand a chance, either?" Frank asked, sniffling.

Nico looked nervous, twisting his skull ring, "Percy is the most powerful demigod I've ever met. No offense guys, but it's true. If anybody can survive, he will, especially if he's got Annabeth at his side. They're going to find a way through Tartarus," he said the last part as if he were trying to convince himself.

Jason asked a question about how Percy was supposed to get to the Doors of Death if Gaea's forces were guarding it. Nico's response was just, "I don't know. But Percy told me to lead you guys to Epirus, to the mortal side of the doorway. He's planning on meeting us there. If we can survive the House of Hades, fight our way through Gaea's forces, then maybe we can work together with Percy and Annabeth and seal the Doors of Death from both sides."

Leo asked a question Frank dared not ask. "And get Percy and Annabeth back safely?"

"Maybe."

Frank wasn't sure that was a good enough answer for him, but he kept his mouth shut. His brain blurred through the rest of the conversation. He heard bits and pieces. _"Gaea will throw everything's she's got at us…Romans are in New York…We've got one month…We can do it…."_ Frank stared at Leo. Could he really be so confident? Then Leo explained about upgrading the ship and Frank blanked out again. Next thing he knew, they were leaving Rome behind. They were leaving Annabeth and Percy behind.

Hazel jolted him out of his nightmare of a mind by slipping her hand into his. He thought it was for comfort, but he was mistaken. It was out of fear. His head snapped up to see a giant gray wolf land on the deck of the huge warship. How had he missed it?

Hazel screamed and looked for her cavalry sword, which was on the other side of the deck. Thankfully, Frank had his bow. He aimed and shot one of its eyes. Unfortunately, that only made the situation worse. "What is that thing?" Frank asked, trying to shout over the roar of the roar of the giant fox. Hazel rolled across the deck while it was distracted and took up her sword. Everyone else had their weapons out as well.

"Careful, guys! This is the Teumessian fox! As far as know, no one's ever beaten it!" shouted Nico. The wind had really picked up now. He could barely hear a thing. _Great_, he thought. _Nico has replaced Annabeth as our provider of random facts that no one ever needs to know._

The fox turned at the sound of Nico's voice. Unfortunately Nico couldn't really do more than stand there and hold his sword up in lousy defense. Jason decided to be helpful and came to his rescue, jabbing the monster with his sword.

Without thinking, Frank grabbed another arrow out of his quiver. He grinned at the thought of what he was about to do. He aimed carefully, right above the fox's head. He made sure that his aim was perfect. It had to be or this wouldn't work. He had only used this technique once before, and the result had been disastrous. He found the released the arrow, watching it as it curved right towards the fox's ear. With a yelp from the fox, the arrow hit its mark and exploded inside the ear, shattering the fox's ear drum and causing the fox to jump off of the Argo II and the wind to die down.

Frank slumped on the railing. He hadn't realized how tired he was. When he looked up, he saw his friends' faces gazing at him in astonishment.

Leo broke the silence. "Well, that was fun."


	2. Frank II

**(A/N: I will try to update one-three times a week. It depends on the week. I have soccer practice every day, thank goodness the season's ending, plus I have to teach piano two days a week. But look forward to a new chapter to be posted before next week.)**

FRANK (II)

The six demigods soon dispersed to different parts of the ship. Nico went downstairs to sleep, Leo went downstairs to the kitchen, and Jason and Piper went to see where Coach Hedge went. Frank secretly hoped he fell overboard with the fox. He was kind of scared of the fawn. He shook his head and mentally corrected himself. Coach Hedge was a _satyr_, not a fawn. He decided to stay on the deck with Hazel, content to watch the sunset. He laced his fingers with hers.

"Are you glad you have Nico back?" Frank asked finally.

Hazel didn't answer. Frank was afraid that he said something wrong. Eventually, she answered, "No."

He looked at her, astonished. "No? But he's your brother?" He couldn't understand why, after all her worrying, she wasn't glad to have him back. Apparently, Frank had missed something seemingly important. He racked his brains, going over the painful memories of the last few days.

Hazel smiled a little. Frank was a kind of miffed at that. "Frank," she said in a low voice. He had to strain to hear her. "I wish I never got him _back_." When it was clear to Hazel that Frank still didn't understand, she continued, "I wish that he never got kidnapped. I wish that I hadn't lost my family." Her voice caught at the end and Frank put his arm around her. He finally understood what she was saying.

"It's okay. You have Nico now."

Hazel shook her head, shivering in the warm air. "Nico's not my only family. Percy is just like my brother. He fell, Frank. He's gone." Her voice was only a hoarse whisper now. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"We'll find them in Greece. We'll close the Doors of Death. We can do it," he said, repeating Leo's words.

Hazel looked at him uncertainly, clearly unconvinced. "How do you know that? How could we possibly do it when we have so much weight to carry on our shoulders?"

"I don't know how, I only know that I believe that we can."

Hazel still didn't look persuaded, but did not pursue the issue. Instead, the two of them sat there while they watched the sun go down. Finally, the half of the sun rays dipped behind the mountain and Hazel said her goodnight, leaving Frank to his thoughts.

So they had a month until Gaea rose. They could make that right? For some reason, Frank felt like this quest was going to take less time than the previous one. He shivered as he remembered her cold voice, speaking to him through closed lips. Her eyes were always closed, and Frank honestly hoped they stayed that way. He couldn't bear to think about what would happen if they did open, even though he was told what would occur. What he would give for a big "Go Back to Sleep" button.

Frank's worries were interrupted when someone touched his shoulder. He jumped and turned around to see Nico, looking better and well rested, but grim. Jason was standing behind him looking confused. "Come on," Nico gestured. Frank shook his head but didn't argue. Jason and Frank followed Nico below deck to the kitchen.

Nico drew his sword and stood before the kitchen sink. Without warning he swung at the faucet and cut the top off, letting hot water and mist squirt everywhere. Why there was mist, Frank didn't know. The window in the hull of the ship allowed the setting sun to shine through, creating a rainbow in the mist. Nico stuck his left hand in his pocket and pulled out what Frank guessed to be a golden drachma. It was weird seeing one since he was so used to denarii.

"Leo's not going to be happy," Jason muttered.

Nico shrugged. Holding up the coin, Nico repeated the words Frank had heard Hazel talk about when he had spoke to Iris on the quest to Alaska. "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering." And with that, he tossed the coin through the mist. As soon as the drachma went through, it disappeared. Nico released the tension in his shoulders. "Sally Jackson," he murmured quietly.

Frank realized why Nico had called both Jason and Frank in here with him. Nico needed to tell Percy's mom what had happened since he had disappeared. Nico hadn't been there for all of it, so he needed the two of them to fill in the blanks. Frank twitched nervously at the thought of meeting Sally Jackson, Percy's mom. He didn't know what she would be like.

Suddenly, the mist changed to reveal a New York apartment kitchen with two people in it. One was a woman, who Frank assumed was Percy's mother, who had brown hair and kind blue eyes. Unfortunately, Sally had tears in her eyes. The other was a man who Frank didn't know.

Nico cleared his throat, drawing attention to the adults in the kitchen. Obvious relief grew in Percy's mother's eyes when she saw Nico.

"Nico!" she cried. "I-is there any news? Did Annabeth find him? Is he okay? Why isn't he here?" she seemed a little hysterical. I guess losing your son could do that to you.

The man put a hand on her shoulder. "Sally, you need to calm down. I'm sure Percy's fine, alright?" Nico flinched. Neither of the people in the image noticed, though. The man looked up at Nico, gesturing for him to speak.

Nico looked nervous, but spoke anyways. "Ms. Jackson "There's a little more to the story than you think. I'm sure you heard Jason's part of the story up until Leo, Piper, Annabeth and Jason left for California." Ms. Jackson nodded so he continued. "Well, you know the prophecy that Rachael spoke?" When Ms. Jackson nodded again, he hesitated before going on. "Before I get to that, I need to tell you about what happened before…." Nico explained briefly about how he had been traveling between the camps for over a year and about how Percy had mysteriously appeared at the Roman camp with a bunch of gorgons on his trail. Then he explained how he decided to search for the Doors of Death from the other side. He left out that the Doors were in Tartarus. He was probably trying not to worry her too much. Then he related about how he got captured by the twin giants.

Nico finished and gestured for Frank to start talking. So Frank told the story of their quest to Alaska. When he got to the part about the train, Ms. Jackson interrupted him.

"I got a message from Percy that night. He said that he was on a quest and that Hera had put him to sleep," she said.

Frank nodded and continued with the story. When he got to the part where Leo, Annabeth, Piper, and Jason came on the Argo II, Jason stepped in and took over the story, with Nico or Frank occasionally stepping in to add something.

At the end, Ms. Jackson just stared at them like they were speaking a different language. "So, where _is_ Percy?" said the man uncertainly.

Frank winced. All three of them ended the story where they crashed into the Italian parking lot to get Annabeth. Nico looked down at his feet, took a deep breath, and said, "Percy and Annabeth…fell."

A worry line appeared on the man's face. "What do you mean? Where did they fall to?"

"The floor that was being held by Arachne's spider webs was a direct door to Tartarus. The floor cracked open and Annabeth was pulled in. Percy…tried to save them both, but…." He trailed off, his voice full of sorrow and bitterness. He looked at the man, not daring to face Percy's mom, who was staring blank faced at the counter. "Paul…I'm so sorry. I tried as hard as I could to save them, but there was nothing I could do. The last thing he told me to do was to lead these demigods to the Doors of Death in Epirus. He plans to meet us on the other side, where the Doors of Death are, in Tartarus. Nico finished his sentence with a ring of finality.

"So what you're saying is," Paul said hopefully. "Is that Percy and Annabeth are going to get out through the Doors of Death."

Nico swallowed hard. Frank could tell that he hated lying to Percy's mom and step-dad of all people. "Basically," he said in a choked voice.

Paul nodded and put his arm around Percy's mom. "Good luck, then," he said in a brusque voice, and the image disappeared.


	3. Frank III

**(A/N: Sorry! I planned to post on Saturday, but I was out of town for my cousin's wedding. I didn't get back until late last night, but nevertheless, here it is! Chapter 3! Please Review and tell me what you think!)**

FRANK (III)

After talking with Sally Jackson, Nico sat down at the table, looking several years older than he had moments before. Jason left the room, muttering something about Leo. They really needed to fix the sink problem before the whole ship flooded. Frank's shoes were already soaked. With nothing else to do but wait, he sat down across from Nico, rubbing his temples. From Nico's expression, Frank guessed it did not go as well as he had hoped.

"Hey," said Frank after a few minutes of silence. "It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Nico growled fiercely, making Frank flinch. "Percy's mom is the strongest person I've ever known. She's even stronger than her son. Last year, when Kronos was getting ready to attack, Percy and I had to devise a plan where Percy could attack Kronos without dying. Percy's mom had to giver her blessing to something that he could possibly die from. Even then she was strong."

Frank stared at Nico, trying to comprehend his words. "What did she have to bless?" he asked, frowning, remembering the sad, desperate woman from the Iris message.

Nico swallowed hard before saying, "Percy bathed in the River Styx, which has only done three times in all of history. Each time, though, you needed the mother's blessing."

Frank's jaw dropped open. "Three? I thought Achilles was the only one who…" he trailed off, unable to speak anymore. Swallowing his emotion, he continued in a hoarse voice, "I saw Percy get cut before. He doesn't have Achilles' curse."

Nico nodded agreeing. "Not anymore. He couldn't retain it in Roman territory. The little Tiber washed it away. As for only Achilles accomplishing it, you're wrong. For Kronos to come back to life, he needed a mortal body that had the curse of Achilles so it could be his host. That was Luke, one of Annabeth's best friends. He killed Kronos by stabbing himself in his Achilles' heel. Percy was the only other one who achieved it. Currently, no one has it, since Percy's was washed away."

They sat in silence for a few moments more. Frank's mind was pretty much blank, trying to process everything from that day. He jumped when Leo came stomping in, glowering at the sink.

"Well, who did this?" Leo asked gruffly, looking between Nico and Frank. Frank quickly put his finger up and pointed at Nico, blaming the kid with the sword hanging at his waist. Nico didn't complain, though. He just stood up and grinned.

"That would be me."

Leo scowled and murmured something about life forms. Frank wasn't sure he was hearing right so he just ignored it. He stepped past the sons of Pluto and Vulcan (or Hades and Hephaestus), and went to his cabin, hoping to get some sleep. He had had such a long day; he was ready to go to bed. He dragged himself into his room and plopped down on the bed. He felt frustrated when he realized that he was too wired to sleep. Forcing himself to relax, he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Frank dreamt that he was falling into a dark hole. Then, suddenly he was seeing everything from someone else's eyes. He was hugging someone to him, tightly. He couldn't let go. He would never cause her pain. Then the world seemed to tilt and an explosion of pain was sent racking through his body. He cried out, whether in the dream or in his sleep, he did not know. His hazy vision went black and the pain stopped. His dream shifted and he was saved from the darkness.

Wishing he was back in the black hole, Frank whimpered. He would much rather be there than standing before a woman dressed in an earthen dress with closed eyes. She smiled and held out her arms, and even though her mouth did not move, Frank heard her voice echo throughout the grassy plain.

_Ah, Frank. Do not worry about Percy and Annabeth. They are in my hands now. _Frank wanted to scream out that that's why he should worry about them, but the words wouldn't come out. Gaea's smile grew wider as if she knew what he was thinking. _Now,_ she said, her arms reaching his thick neck. _Die!_

Frank struggled against her strong grip, but to no avail. He could feel his lungs stop working. He heard the door to his room open, and Gaea's smile slackened. From somewhere far away, Frank heard Hazel yell for him, but he could not answer. He couldn't get enough air in his lungs to wake up. His eyelids fluttered, blinking between the dream world and Hazel's face leaning over him. He couldn't…breathe. He was trapped. He was trapped.

Gaea's smile diminished to a grimace and she let go. Falling back, the ground absorbed her. _Farewell, Frank. We shall meet again. And then I will kill you and your friends. I have spent too much energy keeping you here. _And with that, the dream world she had created vanished and Frank's eyes opened to Hazel's lips on his. Frank sat up, coughing up dirt flecks over the side of his bed. Hazel sat back, obviously relieved. Jason stood behind her, arms crossed. Worry swam in his blue eyes.

Frank sat up, thoroughly embarrassed to have Jason in his room when Hazel was kissing him. Hazel tackled him with a hug. "Frank! Don't you ever leave me again! I had to do CPR on you. You weren't breathing!" Hazel yelled in an exasperated voice, making it seem like Frank was a really big burden. He avoided eye contact with either of them as he told them his dreams. There was silence in the room.

Finally Jason spoke. "So, did something happen to Percy?" he asked, obviously confused.

"Felt like it," Frank complained, massaging his right shoulder, where the pain had been the worst.

Hazel crawled over to him on the bed and hugged him. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do sorry I got Jason, and he said that I should try CPR." Frank nodded, not trusting his voice. He didn't know how he felt about waking up to find Hazel kissing him. He coughed, clearing his throat, before he slid off of his bed.

"We should tell Nico, Leo, and Piper." Jason nodded, his mouth forming a grimace. Frank silently wondered what was wrong with him. He shook his head, forcing himself to concentrate on his task. He shivered as he remembered his dream and the extreme pain he had been in. Whatever had happened to Percy and Annabeth, Frank knew that they had to reach Epirus as fast as they could to help the demigods trapped in Tartarus. Frank walked into the kitchen, determined in his mission, to find a bright light blinding him.


	4. Jason IV

**(A/N: Thanks for the review I got for the last two chapters. Please review this chapter and tell me what you think. Sorry I was late putting it up! I was recovering from a soccer accident, but the season's over, so now I will have more time to update! Enjoy! R&R!)**

JASON (IIII)

Jason really wished that he had ended his and Piper's argument on better terms. When Jason and Piper went downstairs to find Coach Hedge, they were both quiet. He knew she was probably brewing over that days events, but he went and opened his big mouth anyways.

"Hey Pipes," Jason started asking without thinking. "Why didn't you see Percy and Annabeth falling into Tartarus in your knife?"

Piper immediately exploded. "You are an idiot!" Jason flinched, not used to having Piper yelling at him. "Do you think I like having this knife? Do you think I like having to look into Katoptris and see a future that I know will come true no matter what I do?" She pulled out the 18 inch long dagger and implanted it into the wall "If you want to know what happened in the future, go right ahead and take it." She stormed away, leaving her celestial bronze knife in the wall.

Jason stared at it for a few minutes before pulling it out of the wood and hiding it under his bed in his room. He appeased himself by promising to return it to Piper when she calmed down.

He spent the next hour in his room, convinced that his girlfriend had another reason to be mad at him. Fortunately, Nico came to get Jason, and then Frank. Then Nico went crazy and decided that he wanted to flood the ship by cutting off the tops of plumbing. After Jason, Frank, and Nico talked to Sally Jackson, Percy's mom, Jason went to go get Leo so they wouldn't drown.

He turned out of the kitchen and straight into Hazel, who looked tired. She rubbed her eyes. "Hey Jason," she said blearily. She gave him a small smile. She focused her gaze towards the floor. "Um, why is the ship flooding?" Hazel asked, completely confused.

Jason shook his head. "Because your brother is crazy," he growled, harsher than he meant to. Hazel didn't seem to notice, though. She just shook her head and went back to her room. He continued on his journey to find Leo, so he could fix the ship. When Jason got to Leo's room, he knocked quietly. No answer. Jason frowned and knocked again, louder this time. Again, no answer. Jason opened the door a crack to see Leo snoring loudly. Jason rolled his eyes and opened the door wider, letting light fill the room. He went over to Leo's bed and shook Leo's shoulder until his eyes opened. "Come on, Fire Boy," Jason said, still shaking the demigod's shoulder.

Leo sat up in his bed. "Wha-what's wrong? What's going on? Are we being attacked?" Leo asked, bewildered alarm seeping into him.

"No, but the kitchen is flooding."

Leo looked at Jason like he was crazy. "And why would the kitchen be flooding?"

Jason shrugged. "Nico needed to cut the pipes so he could-" He never got to finish his sentence because Leo's eyes blazed with anger. He got up quickly and ran out of the room, towards the kitchen.

Jason dragged himself to his room, looked longingly at his bed, grabbed Katoptris, and walked back out. He found himself at Piper's door before he knew it. Jason braced himself and rapped three times on the door. The door flew open, startling him. Before he could stumble out the words he wanted to say, Piper's arms were around him. He hugged her back, still confused about why she was acting weirdly. When she let go, Jason led her back to her bed, closed the door, and they both sat down. When he looked at Piper's cheeks, he could see that they were tear-stained.

"Look, Pipes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, really, I didn't." He handed her back Katoptris.

She gripped the dagger tightly in her hand, and for a second, Jason thought that she was going to stab him. Then she relaxed and Jason let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding. She stared absently at her weapon before standing up and putting it on her nightstand. When Piper came back to sit on the bed, she said, "I know you are. I was just overreacting." She avoided Jason's gaze.

He thought about her response a moment before coming in close and kissing her on the cheek. Piper blushed slightly, but kept her gaze down. He wanted to do more to comfort her, but she got up. "I'm going to see if I can find Coach Hedge." Jason nodded, getting up so he could leave, still caught up in the relief that him and Piper weren't fighting anymore. Piper let him out of her room first and then closed the door behind her. She headed towards the game room, where Coach Hedge was probably playing Wii, and Jason went back to his room, completely exhausted.

Lying on his bed, Jason had way too much time to think. He thought about earlier when he Percy, and Piper had almost drowned by the nymphs. His arms ached as he remembered swimming in the dark, vengeful water. He shivered and curled up under his blanket, unable to get warm. He lay there for quite a while, wistfully thinking about sleep. Then he heard a yell from…Frank's room? He couldn't tell. He scrambled out from under the blankets and shot out of his room, towards Frank's.

Jason got there in time to see Hazel peer out, he gaped at her terrified expression. Then it grew angry. "Don't just stand there, you big dope! Help me!" his jaw almost dropped in astonishment. She had just called him a dope. He shook his head to clear it and walked into the room. He saw Frank twisting and turning, hands clawing at invisible hands. His eyelids fluttered a bit. Hazel just sat their helpless. It was obvious that she didn't know what to do. He jogged over to her.

Frank wasn't breathing. "Try CPR," Jason suggested hastily. He couldn't think of anything better. Hazel leaned in and started to blow air into him, but the air wouldn't get past his throat. It was tightly constricted as if someone was choking him….

Frank's eyes flew open. He seemed to realize what was happening and blushed. He sat up and coughed violently. He looked at Jason and Hazel, embarrassment reaching his face. Hazel tackled him with a hug. "Frank! Don't you ever leave me again! I had to do CPR on you. You weren't breathing!" Hazel yelled in an exasperated voice. Jason almost laughed. It was amazing how protective the two were of each other. Frank told Jason and Hazel about his dreams.

Jason broke the silence that had followed. "So, did something happen to Percy?" he asked, confused.

"Felt like it," Frank complained. He rubbed his shoulder absently.

Hazel scooted over to him on the bed and hugged him. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do sorry I got Jason, and he said that I should try CPR."

Jason nodded. "We should tell Nico, Leo, and Piper." He frowned at the thought of facing Piper again. He followed Frank and Hazel out of the room and into the kitchen.

He covered his eyes as he reached the kitchen, for a bright light lit up the entire room. When it died down, he looked curiously at the man standing in the middle of the room. It was obviously a god. No one else but a god could transport randomly into a ship sailing through the air. The question was: Which god?

Nico answered his question. Grinning, he said happily, "Apollo." Jason's eyebrows flew upward. This guy was Apollo? He was about eighteen or nineteen and had the outdoorsy type of look. He had blonde hair and a playful smile. He wore jeans and a sleeveless T-shirt. Although he did have a powerful aura about him, Apollo could not look les like a god.

Apollo waved at Nico. "Hey kid! I heard about your capture. I made a poem about you and you pay me back by letting Gaea get the best of you?"

Nico raised an eyebrow. "You made a poem about me?" he asked sourly.

Apollo cleared his throat. "Nico is awesome, He can fight with dead people, But I am better."

Nico scowled. Apparently he had heard Apollo's poetry before. It pretty much sucked, which was weird since he was the god of poetry. Jason walked forward and knelt before Apollo. The god frowned when he saw Jason. Then he smiled at everyone in the room. He pointed at Jason and said, "Now this guy knows how to worship a god." Jason stood up and stepped back, slightly embarrassed. Apollo scanned the faces of everyone in the kitchen. Jason's, Frank's, Hazel's, Nico's, Leo's (Who was still trying to fix the sink), and Piper's. Coach Hedge wasn't included since he was passed out on the floor. Apollo frowned like something was bothering him. "Where's Percy and Annabeth?" he said suddenly. Everyone glanced down uncomfortably.

Nico stepped up. "Percy and Annabeth…are kind of swan diving into Tartarus right now."

Apollo looked troubled for a moment, and then his expression was replaced with his usual playful grin. "Oh well. I guess I should make a poem about-"

"No!" Nico yelled. He lowered his voice when he caught the sun god's expression. "I mean, that's really not necessary. If you do make up a poem, I'm sure Lady Artemis would love to hear it."

Apollo's expression turned even sourer. "Like she would care. And besides, she off in her Roman form, Diana. She said she wouldn't talk to me in my Greek form. She said it messes her up. Pshh! I'm not going to change into my Roman form just to please my little sister!" Apollo was shaking his head.

Piper got up the courage to ask, "So Apollo, is there any particular reason you're here?"

Apollo looked at her like the question intrigued him. Jason leaned forward, eager to hear the real reason a god showed up on their doorstep. "I need three of you to find my car."

Leo spoke for the first time, eyes bright. "Car?" he asked wistfully.

"Actually it's a sun chariot, but I don't really see much of a difference. It's a red Maserati Spyder. You can't miss it."

"Where is it?"

Apollo looked at Leo thoughtfully. "Now _that_ is a good question. It's somewhere underneath you. Well," he raised his hand in farewell. "Have fun!" He disappeared in blinding white light, the same way he had come.

Jason snorted. It was time for a new quest: Find the sun god's chariot. He sighed. This was going to be_ so_ much fun.


	5. Jason V

**(A/N: Sorry this is a short chapter, but you guys don't even know how busy I've been. I thought about putting this up yesterday, but I decided to be really dramatic and give a Halloween shout out! Thank you to TheDeadOne28 and Anon for reviewing last chapter! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Okay! Enjoy! Remember to R&R!)**

JASON (V)

Jason wished he would stop having near death experiences.

Apparently, right underneath the ship was a little island called Ponza. Leo made sure to stop moving as soon as Apollo disappeared. Ponza was basically a tourist spot where people stopped to take pictures of the scenery and stay in little inns. It was also a place where monsters took sun chariots for joyrides. _This quest is going to be so much fun, _Jason thought sarcastically. To make things worse, Piper was still avoiding his gaze. She would only say a few words before walking over to someone else and started a new conversation. Jason's mood could not get any worse.

Naturally, Nico, Leo, and Jason were chosen for the mission. Nico got to go because he had ridden in the chariot before. Leo could because he could sniff out a car like a dog could bacon, and Jason was going because they needed a third person. Jason turned away, a little miffed about that.

They mutually agreed to a get a few hours of sleep before leaving right before dawn. Jason didn't get much sleep, making him tired and irritable when he woke up. He dragged himself out of bed and onto the deck where Nico and Leo were waiting.

Leo gave him a mischievous grin and raised his hand in a cheerful hello. "Hey man," Leo said casually, like they weren't about to go on a mission to try and get a god's car back from monsters. Jason scowled but didn't say anything back. Leo, obviously annoyed, just said, "Oh, that's cool. Just ignore your best friend." When Jason still didn't say anything Leo continued, "It's not as though I really liked you or any-"

"Okay fine!" Jason nearly shouted before chuckling humorlessly. "I'm sorry, Leo, but I can never be cheerful in the morning after only a few hours of sleep. Especially at _dawn_."

Leo grinned but didn't say anything. Nico, who hadn't been paying attention, looked at Jason and Leo. "Morning," he said tiredly.

"I've been up here for ten minutes!" Leo shouted while Jason just shook his head. It seemed as if Nico was even less of a morning person than Jason. Jason broke into a grin. This day was going to be interesting.

Nico just shook off the comment and went back to staring at the island below them. Jason went over to him and leaned over the railing. "What's up?" Jason asked cautiously. He recognized that look in the demigod's eyes. He knew something was wrong. It didn't seem like it was just tiredness.

Nico's head went down so that Jason couldn't see his face anymore. "I just have this feeling," Nico's muffled reply came out. Jason waited for Nico to elaborate a bit more, and when he didn't, Jason decided to try and comfort him.

"When don't we have awful feelings?" he asked, only half joking.

The son of Hades looked up at Jason seriously. Jason shivered. How old was this boy? Thirteen? Fourteen? The look in his eyes made him seem…older. This kid had been through so much, it reminded Jason of himself. He had been two years old when he had first arrived to the Roman camp….

Jason's thoughts turned sour as he thought about where his Roman friends were now. They were marching to Camp Half blood, the camp that had taken him in, even after they found out that he was Roman. They were planning on attacking the camp that had nothing to do with the attack on Camp Jupiter by Leo (or the eidolon).

Nico sighed heavily, bringing Jason's thoughts to the present. "I-I just wish it hadn't been Apollo," Nico commented, almost to himself. Almost. He quickly glanced at Jason to see if he heard. Jason nodded for Nico to continue. Nico returned his gaze to the island. "My sister, Bianca, died a couple of days after I first met Apollo. If we hadn't met Artemis and Apollo, well, except for the fact that I wouldn't be alive, Bianca wouldn't have joined the Hunters, and I wouldn't have ignored her."

"Ignored her?"

Nico nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I saw how Apollo was treating Artemis, so I followed his example, well, because, he was the coolest guy I had met. He was a god and he understood how it felt to have an immortal sister. The only problem with that was, Artemis can't die in battle, while the Hunters can. I…." Nico swallowed hard, trying to get the words out faster. "I didn't realize how much I would regret not talking to her later on. When Percy came back, and he delivered me the news, I got really mad at him. I blamed him for Bianca's death when I really should have blamed myself. Then, I talked to her and she told me-" (1)

"Wait," Jason interrupted. "You talked to your dead sister?" Jason realized at the last minute how stupid that sounded. His ears turned pink when Nico raised an eyebrow at him. "Right, anyways. Continue."

"Like I was saying, I summoned Bianca and she told me the truth. I-I still never forgave myself. I just wanted to get back at her. Make her feel the same pain I did. She was just so…happy." The last word was barely audible. Jason had to strain to hear Nico whisper, "She was so happy without me."

Jason took a step back, shocked. How could his own sister be happy to be without him? Jason remembered when he was reunited with Thalia. (2) She had been so glad to see him. How could the opposite of that happen?

Leo interrupted the brooding thoughts playing in Jason's head, "Umm, nice story and all, but if we want to see the sun come up, we need to find that chariot."

Jason, Nico, and Leo climbed down the ladder on the side of the ship. "Leo looked up from where he was hanging five hundred feet in the air. "You guys ready?" he asked, that mischievous smile back on his face. Jason's and Nico's faces broke out into identical grins, and they all let go. They free falled to the rocky shores of the tiny island of Ponza.

**(1) The Titan's Curse: This is where Apollo comes to take everyone to camp, including the Hunters.**

**(2) The Lost Hero: Who remembers the reunion scene with Jason and Thalia? I do! **

**I am asking for five reviews before I do the next update! Even if you don't review I will probably still update.**

**Read: Update**

**Review: Update Faster! :D**

**Have a fun (and safe) Halloween!**


	6. Jason VI

**(A/N: Just to let you guys know, this chapter is much longer. I wanted to make up for last chapter. I also updated early than I thought I was going to, so SURPRISE! Thanks to TheDeadOne28, EmMarie96, and K for reviewing! Please review what you think of this chapter. There's a little surprise in this chapter.)**

JASON (VI)

Free falling wasn't the worst thing Jason had ever done, in fact, it was probably the most fun and most exhilarating thing he had done. He loved flying through the air, hurtling towards the ground at high speed, as long as he wasn't being chased by monsters. Of course Jason had a plan. Instead of landing in the water, or on the island, or even hovering over the island, Jason had proposed that they free fall to the island. He was almost certain that the monsters would be alerted that they were coming if they saw the giant warship looming suspiciously nearby.

When Jason had told Nico and Leo his plan, Nico beamed at him, which was a little creepy, and told him that it was a plan worthy of Annabeth. Jason felt a little uncomfortable being compared to Annabeth.

So while Jason, Nico, and Leo were falling to their deaths, Jason looked over to Nico and the Son of Hades nodded. Jason closed his eyes and concentrated. He imagined the wind currents forming a slide and the demigods were now sliding down the air slide. He tried not to break his concentration, but it was a little hard, considering his thoughts about air guitar contests. First he would have to learn to play the guitar…. About ten feet from the ground, he hit a bump and the three demigods fell to the asphalt road below them.

Jason, using all his Roman training, rolled and came up in a crouch. Nico came up standing, his sword out. Leo wasn't so lucky. He tried to tuck and roll like Jason did, but ended up falling on his face. Jason couldn't help but laughing, which sounded eerie in the dark streets of Ponza.

"Thanks for letting us fall, Jason," Leo grumbled. His face was gritty and he had a couple small scratches, but other than that, he was fine. Jason just grinned and helped his friend up.

Once Leo was back on his feet, Nico led down a couple of streets and into a dead end. After a couple times of doubling back, they stopped. A brick wall blocked the way in front of them. Nico drew his sword and slashed at the wall in frustration. Sparks flew and he sat down on the ground, his sword clattering to the ground.

"You're going the wrong way."

Jason turned, startled. In the light of a street lamp, stood a girl, about thirteen, and dressed in all blue. But that wasn't the weird part. Strapped to her waist, was a celestial bronze sword. Jason gaped at the black-haired girl. She had startling green eyes and she seemed like the type of girl who wouldn't be caught dead in a dress, except that was what she was wearing: An aqua, sleeveless dress that went down to her knees. Her long hair went down to the middle of her back and had braids running through it and a white bow on the side. To top it all of, she was barefoot. She snorted when she saw the looks the three boys were giving her. "You guys look you haven't seen a girl before." She stuck her hand out in front of Jason and smiled. "I'm Adalyn," she said simply.** (A/N: Yes I'm sorry to all those OC haters, I added one. But she's not going to be in the story very long. And she's definitely not one of the main characters.)**

Jason shook her hand reluctantly. Apparently the girl named Adalyn could tell. She took her hand back suddenly. Jason blushed, hoping he hadn't hurt the strange girl's feelings. But it just wasn't everyday that you saw a strange American girl wearing a sword on her waist and walking barefoot. Then he saw that Adalyn wasn't looking at him. She was frowning at Leo, who was drooling. Nico took care of that by slapping him upside the head. (Gibb's slap for all those who watch NCIS) Leo quickly wiped his face.

Nico, after standing, stepped up to the girl. "Hey I'm Nico," he said. "Can you explain what you mean?"

Adalyn looked confused. "What I mean? What else could I mean?" She got up in his face and poked him in the chest. "You're going the wrong way." It was the boys turn to look confused.

"But what does that mean?" Jason smartly asked.

Adalyn turned on him, even though she had to get up on her tiptoes to get in his face. "What is it that you don't get?!" she yelled. "Do you not speak English?"

Jason flinched. Of course he spoke English.

Leo looked at their surroundings nervously. Jason couldn't help but copy him. Adalyn yelling could arouse some monsters, but maybe….

Jason started yelling back at the girl, "Of course I speak English! Do I look Italian?" Adalyn's eyes grew wide, realizing what Jason was doing. She just smirked and backed off, her green eyes still blazing with fire.

"That's not going to work. It's not on this side of the island. That's why you're going the wrong way."

That's when something clicked in Jason's head. Nico got there faster. "You're a demigod!"

Adalyn rolled her eyes. "Not quite, buddy."

Leo, who had been quiet before, spoke up. "If you're not a demigod, than what are you?" Jason took a step back from the girl. "Are you a monster, then? Is that how you know where they are? Or are you lying to us catch us off guard so your monster amigos can come gobble us up."

Adalyn stared at Leo like he had come from outer space. "You have a weird imagination," was all she said.

"So, uh, if you're not a half-blood…." Jason stopped talking when she gave him an irritated look.

Fidgeting, she said, "Don't you have a ton of them in your city?"

City? What city was Adalyn talking about? Jason didn't know but she looked like she expected him to. Thankfully, Leo spoke up, keeping Jason from looking stupid. "Could you elaborate on this city of Jason's?"

The girl clapped, surprising them all. Sarcastically she said, "Wow. I didn't know you knew what elaborate meant. You must be smarter than I first thought." Leo looked as if he didn't know whether to be insulted or not. "I'm talking about New Rome. My mom trained at CampJupiter." Jason nodded, finally understanding what she was saying.

"You're a legacy," Jason cleared up. Jason noted Leo's confused look and began explaining, "Legacies are descendant of demigods." Jason turned back to Adalyn, who was gazing curiously at the three demigods, like she was just noticing who they really were. "Who are you descended from?" he asked.

She ignored his question and instead said, "The only reason I know who you are is because you guys are so obvious about it."

Nico snorted and pointed to the sword strapped to her waist. "You shouldn't be talking. How many monsters have been following you? And don't the people who live here notice your sword?"

The girl was getting angry by now. Apparently she had a really short temper. "Listen here, Nico. The only way I can fight monsters is by using a sword. They know who I am and they know not to mess with them unless they want their butts kicked. And people don't live here. There are about five families who actually live here. The rest have summer homes, are inn keepers, or are tourists. The tourists think that the sword is some kind of stunt that the inns are playing. The inn keepers just think I'm strange. Zeus knows what goes through their minds. I don't even know how they don't notice the monsters that keep…." She trailed off lost in thought.

Nico's eyebrows flew up. "You're Greek."

Adalyn scowled and turned her gaze back to Nico. "Excuse me?"

"I thought you were Roman, you know because you live by Italy and you knew about CampJupiter, but you're not. You're Greek."

"How could you possibly know that?"

Nico just shook his head and pointed to her sword again. "Celestial Bronze and you said Zeus, not Jupiter." She scowled again, looking like she just got poked in the eyes. Then she turned, and ran in the other direction.

_Well,_ Jason thought, _So much for her._ Nico gazed quietly at the girl's back before turning to Jason and Leo.

"Let this go to Hades. Come on, we'll take a faster way to the island." He got his sword, grabbed Jason and Leo's arms and glared at the wall in front of them. Walking straight through the wall, Nico dragged Jason and Leo forward. Suddenly, darkness rushed by him and he felt like he was going a million miles an hour while shivers ran up and down his spine. Then the shadows melted and they were standing about twenty feet from the coolest car in the world on the other side of the island. Jason's mouth dropped open. It was a red Maserati Spyder convertible and it had to be one of the most awesome cars he had ever seen in his life. He shook off the thoughts as soon as they came, turning to Nico, who was sprawled on the ground. Jason knelt down next to him.

"How much energy did that take?" he asked.

Nico groaned. "A lot," he muttered darkly. Jason pulled some ambrosia squares out of his pocket and fed a little to Nico. He stood up, but didn't look much better.

"This is too easy," Leo said nervously. Jason realized that he was right. There were no monsters in sight. But something did catch Jason's eye. A boy was dozing in the passenger seat. Warily, they approached, keeping an eye out for traps or monsters. There were none.

When they reached the sun chariot, Jason could see the boy clearer. He looked about fourteen, had shaggy brown hair, and a couple freckles splashed across his face. Jason reached out to touch the car, but the boy sat up abruptly. "Adalyn," he called out, rubbing his eyes. "Is that you?" Jason, Nico, and Leo froze as the boys electric blue eyes widened. In an instant he had a dagger out and was in the driver's side of the car, right next to Jason. "Who are you and what do you want?"

Nico held up his hands. "Hey, kid. Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you. We're only here for the car-"

But that only made the boy mad. An angry fire blazed in his eyes. But unlike the strange girl they had met, he didn't talk out impulsively. He seemed to be smarter with his words. "Yeah, I'm sure. Just leave me alone. This is my dad's car, alright. He told me he needed me to…." He trailed off as his gaze turned to something behind the demigods. "Adalyn? Do you know these guys?"

Jason spun around and saw Adalyn walking up to them. She leaned against the car door next to where her friend was crouching in the seat. "Yeah I know them," she said glumly. "Only Zeus knows how they got here so fast. Did you see?" The boy shook his head and Adalyn huffed. She returned her eyes to Jason, Nico, and a little reluctantly, Leo. "Well?" she demanded.

Jason was about to say something smart like, _none of your business_, but before he could, a bright light filled his vision and the next thing he knew, Apollo was back.

"Dad?" was the boy in the car's response and Jason got a feeling of dread. They had been tricked.

The sun god ruffled Nico's hair. "Good job, you guys. You got my car back."

"You realize that there was no actual monsters taking the sun chariot, right?" Leo complained. "Only demigods."

Apollo just chuckled. "Come on, Alex. You can get out now." The boy jumped out and stood next to Adalyn, his arms crossed. The sun chariot disappeared with a snap of Apollo's fingers. The sky turned gray.

"Dad." Apollo turned his attention to the boy named Alex. "What was that all about? I sat there all night for nothing."

Apollo looked thoughtful. "I guess you didn't need to sit there all night, but I did give the quest to these guys last night, so I expected them to be here hours ago." Jason looked down. He felt bad for letting down a god. Then he remembered he was tricked and his gaze hardened. "As for what it was about, well, I needed you guys to meet some people, so you knew how much you were being protected."

Adalyn raised her eyebrows. "I would hardly call being chained to a pole and almost getting eaten protected."

Apollo shook his head. "That was something I couldn't prevent. The Titan war had just ended and the gods were a little bit busy." Adalyn snorted but didn't saw anything else.

Leo raised his hand. "Um, Lord Apollo, why we here?"

Apollo switched his gaze to Leo. "Ah, yes. I almost forgot. Artemis was a little busy so she asked me to give you something. And I thought that this was the perfect way to give it to you." He opened his palm and a box appeared. He handed it to Leo. "Well, I'm out." In a flash he was gone, as were the strange kids.

"Better get back to the ship," Nico said bitterly. And with that, Jason, Leo, and Nico trudged to the other side of the island where the boat was waiting to pick them up.

** Please Review!**


	7. Percy VII

**(A/N: So now, what you've all been waiting for: Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus! Sorry, if it's a little short compared to the last chapter, but I was having writer's block. Thanks to EmMarie96 for reviewing! Hope you enjoy! Please R&R!)**

PERCY (VII)

Percy hugged Annabeth to his chest as they fell through the darkness. He felt his consciousness start to ebb away, so he pulled his girlfriend into a tighter embrace. He did not want to let her go. He had promised they would stay together.

He felt Annabeth grab his shirt. He almost felt offended. Didn't she trust him to hold onto her? He forced himself to calm down. She was probably just as scared and worried as he was.

Down below, Percy could just barely make out a ledge in the creepy darkness, and he and Annabeth were headed right towards it. He twisted in midair so that his back was facing the rock and braced himself. When Percy's back hit the ledge, the wind was knocked out him, pain shot through him like a million volts of electricity, and he passed out cold.

The sweet taste of ambrosia roused Percy from unconsciousness. "Annabeth?" he asked, his head pounding. He opened his eyes to a fuzzy image of the blonde-haired girl leaning over him, feeding him the food of the gods. Once his vision cleared, he tried to sit up. He yelled out in pain as he tried to put pressure on his left wrist.

"Careful," Annabeth muttered, helping him sit up so he didn't feel any more pain. Unfortunately, it didn't work out like that. Percy gritted his teeth so he wouldn't cry out from the pain in his shoulder and wrist. "You hit kind of hard." Percy gazed at Annabeth. The worry on her face was pretty prominent. He couldn't blame her, though. He was clammy from the ambrosia healing his body and his face was probably as white as Nico's, which is to say, death.

Instead of dwelling on what he looked like, he reached out with his right hand, and grabbed hers. "Hey," he said calmly. Annabeth reluctantly turned her intense gray eyes to Percy's sea green ones. He gave her a small, hopeful smile. "We'll make it to the Doors of Death and we'll shut them, okay? We'll meet the others there and we'll defeat Gaea. I promise." Percy instantly felt guilty. How could he possibly promise that they would save the world?

Annabeth nodded, but sighed, like she really didn't believe him. "I guess you're right." She broke a square of ambrosia in half and handed the other half to him. Half-heartedly she sat down next him, her ankle still in her makeshift, bubble wrap splint, and started nibbling on the brownie-like food.

Percy silently followed her example and the pain from both his wrist and his shoulder slowly faded.

When Percy was finished, he realized for the first time that there was no water anywhere to be found. This posed a big problem since they wouldn't have any clean water to drink, and Percy's mouth felt as dry as sand. He was pretty sure Annabeth felt the same way, even if she wasn't showing it.

"Annabeth?"

She was silent for a moment before answering, "Yeah?"

"What do you think they're doing right now?" Percy looked down. He wanted desperately to believe that they could make it to the Doors of Death at the same time, but Percy had an ominous feeling that something had gone wrong for the others. That's when Percy realized he had no idea how much time had actually passed.

"You mean Nico and the others?" Percy nodded in the shadows, hoping that Annabeth could see. It was pretty dark. "Well, I'd imagine that Nico is leading them to Epirus, like you told him to."

Percy opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he heard something he didn't expect to. He tensed and nudged Annabeth. Her head shot up, trying to listen to the faint sound.

"What…what _is_ that?" Annabeth asked. Percy guessed she was agitated about not knowing anything about what was in Tartarus. He would've laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious. Annabeth not knowing something = bad things happening.

Percy shook his head when the sound started up again. It sounded so…inhuman. Almost like a child, but it seemed so ancient and evil, Percy couldn't believe it was human. Percy shuddered at the thought of being in Tartarus for eternity and suffering eternal punishment. It could have been mortal long before, but sent to Tartarus for some horrible reason and left to rot…. Percy paled.

Annabeth noticed. "Percy? What's wrong?" She grabbed for her dagger before realizing that she didn't have it anymore. It was somewhere in the bottomless pit they were trapped in. The wailing started up again, but this time, it sounded closer. Percy pulled Annabeth closer. He needed to stay brave for her sake. He heard another sound, a low growl that sent shivers up his spine. He had heard it before, in fact, he had one as a pet.

"Percy," Annabeth warned. Percy stood up, helping Annabeth to her feet as well. He could almost see the gears turning in her head. Her stormy gray eyes were darting around, calculating who knows what. She seemed to know what was going on, at least more than Percy, because then she said, "Percy, uncap Riptide."

He tried to protest but she gave him one of her signature _do-what-I-say-Percy-or-I-swear-if-we-make-it-out-of-this-alive-then-I-will-kill-you_ looks. He brought Riptide out and uncapped it. The celestial bronze glowed eerily in the inky blackness that surrounded them. The sight of his sword gave him a tiny spark of heart. Maybe there could be light in the middle of despair. So maybe they could finish their quest and lull Gaea back to sleep. Maybe they could save the world and continue their lives at CampHalf-Blood.

Percy had a pang of homesickness. He wanted to see his mom and Chiron and the Stoll brothers, and yes, he would even like to see Clarisse. Then he felt mad. He got mad at Hera and the gods and the giants and Gaea. He wanted to be back in Cabin Three with Tyson and he wanted his life to go back to normal. Well, as normal as it got for him. He didn't want to be in Tartarus with everything evil. He shuddered involuntarily as he realized that all of his enemies (The Minotaur to name one) were in the bottomless pit. He was in their home territory now.

"Percy!" Annabeth brought him back to the present. "Hey, we've got company," pointing to the origin of the growl. Suddenly, the stench hit him. The smell of rotten meat was filling his nose, making him want to gag. Percy knew exactly what he was about to face.

He gripped Riptide tighter. He couldn't believe it. It was like thinking about it brought it there. From the shadows, appeared Percy's first monster, the Minotaur.

**I hope to at least get five reviews for this chapter. I think I might redo it, though. Please tell me what you think!**


	8. Percy VIII

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I meant to Friday, but I was out of town. So is everyone having a good 3 day weekend? If not hopefully this cheers you up! Thank you to Hope-Hikari and Madelena for reviewing the last chapter. I do not own PJO or HoO! All rights go to Rick Riordan! Please R&R! Enjoy Chapter 8 :) **

**Thank you to Hope-Hikari and Madelena for reviewing the last chapter. **

**To Hope-Hikari: Don't worry, I have something planned for CHB, and it'll come up in Hazel's chapter, so keep a look out for it.**

**To Madelena: Thanks :) I don't get many reviews, but those I do get always make me smile. So thank you!**

PERCY (VIII)

The Minotaur snarled and Percy froze. It..it wasn't possible. Just thinking about the monster couldn't bring the actual thing there, could it?

Annabeth shook his shoulder. "Percy! Snap out of it!" Percy blinked hard and tried to concentrate, which was hard to do in the darkness of the evil pit that they were in. Screeches and growls were occasionally heard, and dark shadows flitted past them, and being ADHD, it was pretty hard to not get distracted.

Strapped to the Minotaur's back was the double-bladed battle axe that Percy had last fought against. Each of the twin blades were shaped like an omega. They glinted in the faint glow of Percy's sword. Even though he was armed, the Minotaur was back in his tighty whities. He looked so ridiculous, wielding his weapon in his underwear, that if Percy wasn't scared out of his wits, he would have laughed.

The Minotaur bellowed, which sounded somewhere in between a loud burp and a dinosaur roar, and charged. Percy dodged, dragging Annabeth with him so that she wouldn't get be in the line of fire. The monster barreled straight past them and into the wall. He backed up, his eyes burning with anger and hate. He hefted his axe of his back and swung. Percy parried, making sure to keep Annabeth behind him, and tried to strike. They were at a stalemate before the Minotaur swung towards his head. Percy ducked and swung lower, at the Minotaur's belly. Unfortunately for him, he was wounded. The Minotaur met Riptide with his axe and caught the hilt. He thrust downward, disarming Percy. His sword clattered out of his hand, behind the Minotaur. Now Percy was wounded and weaponless. The Minotaur snorted in glee. He pawed the ground, getting ready to charge.

Percy chanced a look behind him and saw that Annabeth had disappeared. Panic threatened to overwhelm him. He turned his gaze back to the Minotaur. He had to kill the monster and find Annabeth. He couldn't bear to be parted from her again. Not after six months apart. Suddenly, the Minotaur gave a Moo in surprise. Annabeth, covered in grime and dirt, had grabbed Riptide and sliced open the Minotaur's belly. It was still bellowing when it disintegrating, probably cursing Percy and Annabeth.

Percy jogged to where Annabeth. She handed him Riptide and he was about to touch the cap to the point before Annabeth said, "Might as well keep it out and ready."

"You're probably right." He put the cap in his pocket. There was complete silence for a moment before an eerie wailing started up again. "Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"What do we do now? I mean," he took a deep breath, mentally preparing to ask the question. "How do we find the Doors of Death? Where is it?"

Annabeth shook her head, mystified. "I don't know, Percy." In the light of his sword, Percy could see her gray eyes analyzing the darkness. What scared him was the fact that Annabeth knew almost everything (at least in Percy's eyes) and yet, now that they were in Tartarus, she seemed like she knew nothing about the situation. "As far as I know," she said, startling Percy, "Nico is the only half-blood to actually make it out of Tartarus alive. All the others…." She trailed off, but Percy knew what she meant. They had all died. Tartartus made the Fields of Punishment look like a picnic, and Percy had seen the Fields of Punishment. It was not a pretty sight.

"So where do we go?"

"We have to track down Gaea's army."

"You're kidding right?" Percy stared at her. "That's suicide."

Annabeth gave him an annoyed look. Do you want to find the Doors of Death or not?" When Percy didn't say anything she just put her hair back into a ponytail. It had fallen out when Percy had dragged her away from the Minotaur's attack.

"So," he said slowly. "We have to find Gaea's forces, which are somewhere in the bottomless pit. Do we just find a giant or what?" He leaned against the wall. This was just too much to process. They were supposed to look for the enemy? How were they supposed to take the offensive if they only had one sword in between them?

Percy yelped and fell back onto the ground. He looked up to see Annabeth's surprised face next to him. The section of the wall that Percy had been leaning on had disappeared and now they were in a secret tunnel. But that didn't make sense. There were torches along the wall, lighting the way into the infinite passageway.

"What in Hades?" Percy asked.

"Di immortales! These tunnels must have been carved by the gods themselves!" Annabeth said, fascinated. She touched the walls carefully, as if they would explode.

"Or something older," Percy muttered darkly.

Annabeth shot him a look but didn't say anything more. In silent agreement they started walking down the tunnel. A grinding sound behind them made them jump. The wall had reappeared. Percy ran back to it and pushed on it. They were sealed in.

"We're trapped," Annabeth said. Her tone made Percy look over in wonder. She seemed happy to be trapped in a sealed tunnel rather than stumbling through the darkness of Tartarus.

"Yep. So should we…." Percy pointed down the passageway. Annabeth nodded and gestured for him to lead the way.

They walked for a couple hours, nothing changed. The tunnel walls still held torches forever and ever down the passageway. Percy and Annabeth didn't do much talking, but when they did, it was about happier times: their four months together, their quests together, the summers spent at CampHalf-blood. It made Percy wistful for his homes: CampHalf-blood and his apartment where he lived with his mom and Paul. He wondered how his mom had held up during his absence. He had sent her a phone call during his quest to free Thanatos, but he hadn't even thought about telling her that he had survived that quest. He made a promise to himself that he would Iris Message his mom if he survived Tartarus.

Finally, when Percy felt as if his legs would give out, Annabeth stopped. "I guess we should stop here for the night."

"The night?"

Annabeth glared at him. "Don't start with me, Percy. I can't walk another step." She groaned and leaned against the tunnel as if to make her point.

They didn't have anything to sleep on, so they just laid against the tunnel wall. Luckily it wasn't too uncomfortable.

"So how far do you think this tunnel goes?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Could go for miles."

"Great," Percy said weakly. That did nothing to reassure him. They sat in silence, the torches on the walls casting flickering shadows. "Do you think we're safer in here?"

Annabeth didn't answer at first. She just watched the walls with her intense eyes. "Honestly, I have no idea. I didn't even know that Tartarus had secret tunnels." She sounded so miserable, Percy felt bad for her. He put an arm around her and kissed her forehead. "There's nothing in the old stories about secret passageways. How could these even be here?" Percy felt like he had an answer, but the idea weighed so heavily with that he didn't want to share it. Annabeth stared into his sea green eyes. "You know, don't you?" she accused.

Percy dropped his gaze to the stone floor. "I don't know. I might. It's just something that I thought of." Annabeth's eyes blazed with anger, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she waited for Percy to continue. "What if, last year, when Kronos was letting all those monsters and other Titans out of Tartarus, he created these tunnels so he could they could get from one part of Tartarus to another?"

Annabeth looked impressed, which was only something that happened rarely. Usually she was the smarter one. "That might actually be it. That could also be why there are no stories about it."

"But like you said, no demigod but Nico has come out of Tartarus alive. I could be wrong," Percy pointed out. He didn't know why he said that. It was like it was drawn out of him. Something flickered in front of him. Percy was too stunned to tell what it was. When it flickered again, he could tell it was in the shape of a human. But that was impossible, wasn't it?

Annabeth gasped. "Is that…?" Percy didn't know what she was talking about, but he relaxed. He helped Annabeth to her feet. She had taken off her splint and limped towards the flickering image. This time Percy could definitely see that it was human, or something that had the shape of a human. Every time it flickered the image grew clearer. Percy gasped in amazement.

Standing in front of them was a girl with an olive complexion and dark black hair braided down her back. She wore the silvery outfit of a Hunter of Artemis and green floppy cap. Guilt welled up inside of Percy, like it did whenever he saw her. Percy swallowed.

"Bianca di Angelo."

**So what did you think? Please review! I would really appreciate it. And thank you to my followers for following. Love ya guys 3**


	9. Author's Note

**Sorry Guys! This is an AUTHOR'S NOTE!**

Due to some personal issues, I will not be updating on fanfiction for a while. I know a lot of you are waiting to read the rest of the story, but there's not a lot I can do to post. Even putting this up is a little consuming. Please don't be mad! I will post as soon as I'm able to! Thank you for understanding!

Thanks,

**Camyrose14**


	10. Percy IX

**A/N: I am SO sorry. I had a couple of personal problems to work out. Please review and I will try to finish the next chapter soon. Please don't hate me for not updating. I really did try my best. Thank you all for being patient. Here's the next chapter:**

PERCY (IX)

"Bianca di Angelo," Percy said in awe. It was weird and scary to meet Bianca in Tartarus.

The weird part: Percy had heard that Bianca chose to be reborn and try for the Isles of Blest, where you went to if you reached Elysium three times. The scary part: He knew that Bianca was probably here to kill him.

He uncapped Riptide. "What do you want?"

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled, but Percy ignored her. He pointed the tip of his sword so that it was lined up with Bianca's neck.

The ghost who wasn't Bianca smirked, which looked strange on the Hunter's face. Percy's thoughts flashed back to the time Kronos had invaded Manhattan. It had been Luke's face, but the smile was so inhuman, it could only be Kronos'.

"So," Bianca said coldly. "You have come to close the Doors of Death." She spoke it with such finality, it didn't really sound like a question.

Still, Percy replied, "Yeah, what's it to-" he broke off. Bianca had switched to the form of Luke. Everything was the same, the sandy blonde hair, the scar on his jaw line, even the blue eyes. Percy was glad to see them blue and not gold. Percy swallowed, finally knowing who they were dealing with. "What do you want?"

Luke smiled. "So you have figured out who I am. Well done, little hero, but that will not help you. I only help because my master has commanded me to. This will only happen once in your puny half-blood lives."

"So why even bother?" Percy asked, trying to sound defiant. Unfortunately, it came out more miserable than anything.

The ghost's form changed again, this time, to Beckendorf. More guilt welled up inside of Percy. Annabeth, who had been frozen throughout the whole exchange relaxed. Percy guessed that Annabeth was still a little touchy on the Luke subject.

He hissed in frustration, which sounded pretty weird in Beckendorf's voice. "I have already told you, hero! Because my master commands me! The Lord of Death will have your soul. Now, we do not have much time! We must go!"

Percy shook his head, trying to clear it. This ghost did not make any sense. How was he supposed to go if the Lord of Death was going to have his soul?

"Show us your true form, Melinoe," Percy demanded.

Beckendorf's smile faltered. "As you wish, hero."

Suddenly, Percy and Annabeth were looking at a woman with split personalities. Half of her body was chalk white and the other half was shriveled black, like a mummy. She wore a golden dress and a golden shawl around her shoulders. Percy wished he hadn't said anything. Melinoe creeped him out.

Annabeth gasped. "Percy! That's…." she couldn't seem to finish her sentence.

"I know," Percy said glumly. "I met her when Nico, Thalia, and I traveled to the Underworld after Ethan Nakamura."

"Yes," Melinoe said absently. "The hero without any ghosts. Tell me Percy Jackson: how many ghosts do you have now?" She hissed in laughter. Percy rubbed the bead with the EmpireStateBuilding. There were so many names, so many campers who didn't survive to see the end of the war. Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Michael Yew, everyone who had died fighting for Olympus. Not to mention those who had died in the Battle of the Labyrinth.

He didn't answer. Instead he asked, "Why did Hades send you?"

He bet she would have rolled her eyes if they weren't deep black holes sucking your soul out. "You, Percy Jackson, have a lot to learn. Never question a god's help."

"Right," Percy said, trying to square with that fact. Why would Hades break the Ancient Laws just to help his least favorite demigod in Tartarus? Now that was a question he couldn't wait to ask Hades when he got out of the mess they were in. _If_, he thought, correcting himself. It was only an 'if'. First they had to find the Doors, and to do that, they had to battle a whole army of monsters by themselves. Well, by themselves plus a creepy ghost lady who wanted him to die. Yeah, fun.

Annabeth took a deep breath and kissed him on the cheek. "Come on, Seaweed Brain. We should just follow her. If Hades wants to help, than he hates Gaea more than he hates you."

Was that possible? Percy didn't find it very likely, but he nodded and gestured for Melinoe to lead. Instead of going forward, though, she passed straight through the opposite wall that they were leaning against. After a couple minutes, Melinoe came back.

She hissed in annoyance. That was the only way he could tell what her mood was since her face was clear of emotion. "I remind you, heroes, that I am not a patient goddess. Come quickly." This time when she passed through the wall, that section disappeared, leading into another lit tunnel wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side.

"How did she do that?" Percy asked Annabeth quietly.

She flicked him in the head. "Not only is she a goddess, she's the goddess of ghosts. How do you think she did that?"

Percy didn't answer. He hoped that the dim lighting of the tunnel was hiding the fact that he was blushing. He sighed and kept following Melinoe.

Percy just kept thinking about the mess that he Annabeth had gotten themselves into. Nico was supposed to be leading the others to Greece. To the House of Hades. But could they actually succeed? Their chances seemed pretty slim at the moment, considering they were following a ghost lady who was supposed to help navigate them through Tartarus.

After a couple of hours, they reached an opening in the tunnel. Percy's jaw dropped to the floor when he saw what was happening in the room the tunnel led to.

"Get down!" Annabeth hissed, dropping to the floor behind a conveniently placed rock. Percy followed her example and ducked behind the rock, just as a shadowy monster passed by. He shut his eyes tight and prayed to every god he could think of that nothing would find them. Of course, the monster didn't even seem to notice Melinoe. She just stood there calmly. He felt Annabeth tighten her hand around his and he squeezed her hand in an attempt to try and comfort her.

Trying to breathe the air in the cavern was like trying to breath with a pillow over your face. It was almost impossible. Percy gagged at the stench. He tried to push his nausea down so he wouldn't throw up. If he did, the monsters would hear, plus, Annabeth would never kiss him with vomit breath.

"Why would you lead us to a place like this?" Percy asked in annoyance.

"Percy," Annabeth warned, but Melinoe wasn't paying any attention to the two behind the rock.

Annabeth poked her head around the rock. She returned her gaze and motioned for him to do the same. He complied. What he saw disturbed and amazed him. The monsters were fashioning the hardest looking armor Percy had ever seen. It looked as if it would shatter even a celestial bronze blade. They were also fashioning weapons: swords, spears, and even some wicked darts that looked like they could tear apart a car with a single throw. Annabeth and Percy shared a look of despair. There was no way that either of the camps could go against any of this stuff.

"Behold," Melinoe hissed. "The great armory of Gaea. What a pathetic lot. They don't even look like they can do any damage! Pah! Pity. I wish we could just use it to destroy the stupid beef heads instead."

"That's it!" Annabeth whispered.

Percy wasn't sure what was weirder, Melinoe calling Gaea's army beef heads, or Annabeth getting an idea from the nonsense that Melinoe had just omitted from her mouth.

"What?" Percy asked quietly.

Annabeth's gray eyes sparked with the excitement she always got when she had a plan. "I know how we can slow down Gaea!"

Melinoe drifted closer, and Percy waited for her to continue. She explained her plan in full detail.

"Well," Percy whispered, "I really hope this works. Otherwise, we're toast."


End file.
